商務禮節美語第200期:玩轉文化差異(下)

Jim和Emily是一家跨國公司從中國聘用的新僱員，公司人事部的Paula對他們進行文化差異的培訓。Emily說，

E: I know that we will be expected to chat and make small talk with our customers, but I'm worried I'm going to put my foot in my mouth.

P: There are a couple of topics that are considered "no-nos" in Western culture. It's best to avoid discussions on politics, religion and money.

J: Why is religion a sensitive topic?

聊天兒，to chat, 也可以說to make small talk. Emily擔心跟客戶聊天的時候會to put my foot in my mouth, 意思是說話不得體，講錯話。Paul說，在西方文化中，確實有一些話題是"no-nos"最好不要涉及的領域，包括政治、宗教和金錢。宗教爲什麼是敏感話題？

P: Well, there are a lot of religions and each one thinks very differently. Overall, it's an area that could cause trouble; so it's best to stay away from it.

J: When I visited Italy last year, I noticed a sign at a church asking people to remove their hats. Why is this necessary?

P: In some religious centers it's considered impolite to wear hats. Many Western people also think you should remove your hat when dining or in a more formal setting.

Paul解釋說，不同宗教信仰的人，如果話不投機，就很容易出問題。So it's best to stay away from it，所以最好遠離這個話題。 Jim問，爲什麼意大利有的教堂要大家摘掉帽子。Paula解釋說，某些宗教認爲戴帽子很不禮貌，It's considered impolite to wear hats, 而且在西方，正式場合和飯局一般都要把帽子摘下來。

J: You said money is off-limits as well. Can you explain?

P: In some parts of Asia, discussing salary amounts or how much you paid for something is an acceptable conversation topic, but in the West, people get very uncomfortable when discussing money.

E: That makes sense. Money can be a tricky subject.

金錢也是off-limits，禁區。在亞洲某些地方，工資收入可以是聊天的話題，但是在西方，問別人賺多少錢，往往會讓人覺得不舒服。所以說，money can be a tricky subject.

P: Ok...a couple more important points: In some Asian societies, when you meet someone and you notice they have put on weight, you might say "Hey! You've gained weight!" But in the West, it's almost never appropriate to comment on someone's appearance.

J: But why? It's not a criticism; it's just an observation.

P: In the West it is viewed as a criticism. So don't comment on age or weight.

E: I think it's best to simply say, "You look well."

P: would be perfect. Thank you all for your attention and we will meet again next week.

還有一點至關重要，見面千萬別說，“你發福了！” That's a no-no. 西方人幾乎從來不討論別人的外表，還有年齡！Don't comment on age or weight.